Nicole Saphier

Nicole Saphier
Surgeon General of the United States
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingVivek Murthy
Personal details
Born1981/1982 (age 44–45)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Spouse(s)Paul Saphier
Children3
Education

Nicole Saphier (born 1981 or 1982) is an American radiologist, medical journalist, and author. From 2018 until 2026, she was a contributor for Fox News. Saphier hosted Wellness Unmasked, a health and wellness podcast.[1]

In April 2026, President Donald Trump nominated Saphier to be the surgeon general of the United States.

Early life

Nicole Saphier was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in the early 1980s.[2] She became pregnant at 17. Saphier was raised in Gilbert, Arizona.[3] She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts and from the Ross University School of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine.[4]

Career

Saphier performed her residency training at Maricopa Integrated Health Systems.[3] While in residency, she met Paul Saphier;[2] they later married and had two children together.[3] Saphier was a physician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she was the director of breast imaging at the center's facility in Monmouth, New Jersey.[5] She was also an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.[6]

In 2018, Saphier was hired as a contributor for Fox News.[6] Her contract with Fox ended when she was nominated to be Surgeon General in April 2026. Saphier is a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women.[7]

Surgeon General nomination

On April 30, 2026, President Donald Trump withdrew Casey Means's nomination to be the next surgeon general of the United States. On the same day, he nominated Saphier to the role. Many members of the Make America Healthy Again movement were against Saphier's nomination.[8]

Views

Saphier is supporter of the Make America Healthy Again movement.[9] She did not support the belief supported by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that acetaminophen caused autism.[10] While Saphier has supported Kennedy's calls for more research into the causes of growing autism rates, she does not support the way Kennedy has been handling it.[11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saphier did not support how the first Trump administration made the pandemic political, while also not supporting the vaccine mandate done by the Joe Biden administration.[12] She is also against the Affordable Care Act and single-payer healthcare plans.[13]

Saphier has been against gender-affirming care and called people wanting to be being transgender a "national emergency".[14]

References

  1. ↑ Watson, Kathryn (April 30, 2026). "Trump pulls Casey Means' nomination as surgeon general, naming Nicole Saphier as replacement". CBS News. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Trendsetter to Know: Dr. Nicole Saphier, Breast Cancer Specialist and Best-Selling Author". Arizona Foothills Magazine. April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Kellner, Mark (May 7, 2024). "Fox News' Dr. Nicole Saphier Writes 'Love, Mom,' Which Chronicles Stories of Mothers' Faith". The Washington Times.
  4. ↑ Angell, Melissa (April 30, 2026). "Trump Drops Wellness Founder for Surgeon General, Names Third Nominee for Nation's Top Doctor". Inc. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ Cooney, Elizabeth; Cirruzzo, Chelsea; Payne, Daniel (April 30, 2026). "Trump drops Casey Means as surgeon general nominee, opts for radiologist Nicole Saphier". Stat. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Ramaswamy, Swapna (April 30, 2026). "Donald Trump nominates Dr. Nicole Saphier as US surgeon general". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  7. ↑ Manto, Margaret (April 30, 2026). "Trump's New Surgeon General Nominee Is a Doctor and Vaccine Mandate Critic". NOTUS. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl (April 30, 2026). "Trump Withdraws Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ Moyle, Nick (April 30, 2026). "Trump just nominated this N.J. doctor for surgeon general. Here's what to know". NJ.com. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ Swenson, Ali; Kinnard, Meg (April 30, 2026). "Trump pulls nomination for stalled surgeon general nominee Means and says he'll put forth Saphier". Associated Press. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ Whyte, Liz; Siddiqui, Sabrina; Andrews, Natalie (April 30, 2026). "Trump Withdraws MAHA Champion Casey Means as Surgeon General Nominee". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  12. ↑ Nather, David; Reed, Tina (April 30, 2026). "Trump Announces New Surgeon General Nominee". Axios. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Davis, Sarah (April 30, 2026). "Who is Nicole Saphier, New Trump Surgeon General Nominee?". The Hill. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ Schreiber, Melody (May 4, 2026). "Who is Nicole Saphier, Trump's new nominee for US surgeon general?". The Guardian. Retrieved May 4, 2026.

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